Green Energy Produces Red Ink

April 12, 2012 04:26


All the European PIIGS [Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain] have tried [solar energy subsidies]– and the waste of taxpayer funds on failing green energy schemes is a major reason for their parlous financial state.

 

By Viv Forbes, Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition

 

The Carbon Sense Coalition today called on the Australian government to stop forcing the community to waste valuable savings and resources on building useless solar energy plants.

 

The Chairman of Carbon Sense, Mr Viv Forbes, said solar energy was expensive, unreliable and unnecessary.

 

“Nowhere in the world has solar energy proved a sensible investment of tax payer funds. Green dreamers and speculators should be free to build the own monuments to the sun god, but ordinary mortals should not be forced to pay for their fetish.

 

Examples of solar stupidity abound.

 

Generating electricity from solar panels in cold, cloudy Northern Europe is like growing paw-paws in Iceland – it can be done, but who would be so silly as to try?

 

Germany was silly enough to try. Germany gets about an hour of useful sunshine per day in winter – solar power is weakest just when they need it most. But they have installed about half of the world’s solar panels. Germany’s Q-Cells, once the world’s biggest manufacturer of solar panels, just went broke. So did four other German solar companies.

 

Sunny California also tried, but despite a half billion dollar loan from US tax payers, solar panel manufacturer Solyndra went broke. Solar Trust of America, recently offered $2 billion in loan guarantees by US tax payers, has also filed for bankruptcy.

 

All the European PIIGS have tried – and the waste of taxpayer funds on failing green energy schemes is a major reason for their parlous financial state.

 

The only sensible participant in the solar industry is China – they make panels very cheaply using coal or nuclear power and sell them to green dreamers.

 

The reason green energy creates so much red ink is pretty obvious – it just needs one day’s observation of the sun.

 

Full strength solar energy is available around midday for maybe 8 hours each day, providing the skies are clear, and there is no dust on the panels, and you are in a tropical zone. For the other 16 hours of the day, most electricity must come from reliable energy sources like gas, hydro, coal or nuclear. This about doubles capital and operating costs for no increase in output.

 

With all this compelling evidence of the failures of solar electricity, why is the Australian government frittering $1.5 billion on green toys like the Moree and Chinchilla Solar farms?

 

Green gambling is for private speculators not for captive tax payers or electricity consumers.

 

Viv Forbes

153 Schneiders Road, Rosevale via

Rosewood    Qld   Australia

0754 640 533

forbes@carbon-sense.com

 

Viv Forbes is Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition which opposes waste of resources, opposes pollution, and promotes the rational and sustainable use of carbon energy and carbon food. www.carbon-sense.com

 

 

 

For those who wish to read more:

 

EU Climate Policy in Free Fall:

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c920274f2a364603849bbb505&id=7aa4eeb1b3&e=e1638e04a2

 

Solar Power Realities:

http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/solar-realities.pdf

 

Germany’s Q-Cells files for bankruptcy:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17587830

 

German Solar on the Ropes:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,825490,00.html

 

German solar industry horrified as subsidies are questioned:
http://www.thegwpf.org/subject-index/economics/859-revolt-of-the-sun-kings.html

 

Solar Doomed: Every Solar Job in Germany Costs €250,000 to electricity consumers:
http://thegwpf.org/international-news/4711-doomed-every-solar-job-in-germany-costs-250000.html

 

Solyndra Scandal:

http://reason.com/blog/2012/03/29/solyndra-scandal-pronounced-dead-again

 

Solar Trust files for bankruptcy in California:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/04/a-narrow-escape-for-taxpayers.php

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/worlds-largest-solar-plant-21-billion-energy-department-loan-guarantee-files-bankruptcy

 

Austerity in Portugal threatens solar subsidies:

http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2012/february/portugal-s-austerity-plans-break-energy-commitments-/73643.aspx

 

Near Bankrupt Italy faces huge solar subsidies bill:

http://www.power-eng.com/news/2012/04/03/italy-to-cut-renewable-energy-subsidies.html

 

Irish solar feed-in tariffs unsustainable:

http://news.uk.msn.com/politics/solar-power-subsidies-face-reform-2

 

Bankrupt Greece cuts Solar Subsidies:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/greece-solar-idUSL5E8D11XY20120201

 

Spain cuts Green Subsidies to help curb budget deficit:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-27/spain-suspends-subsidies-for-new-renewable-energy-plants.html

 

Spain fails to control green subsidies:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-18/spanish-solar-projects-on-brink-of-bankruptcy-as-subsidy-policies-founder.html

 

Britain’s Solar Subsidies Fiasco:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9050088/Solar-panels-subsidy-was-one-of-the-most-ridiculous-schemes-ever-dreamed-up-Lord-Marland-says.html

 

Australian Government backs plans for world’s largest solar plants:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/worlds-largest-solar-plants-for-nsw-qld-20110618-1g8my.html

 

Greens boast of their role in gambling $1.5 billion of tax payer funds on solar toys:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/solar-stations-down-to-us-greens-say/story-e6frf7jx-1226077940496

 

Australian Flagship Solar Plants Stagnate:
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3465055.htm

 

Queensland Government ceases support for Chinchilla Solar Farm:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/elections/campbell-newman-orders-anna-blighs-husband-greg-withers-to-kill-green-schemes/story-fnbsqt8f-1226311864712

 

Delhi’s rooftop solar power policy a non-starter “not viable” and “not cost effective”:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-30/developmental-issues/30572236_1_solar-power-solar-panels-powerscenario

 

Premier Wen Jiabao says China will put an end to blind expansion of solar and wind power:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/07/an-about-face-by-china-on-solar-power

http://www.elp.com/index/from-the-wires/wire_news_display/1621584677.html



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